Learning Medicine

"Exactly."

Zhang Wuji nodded honestly.

Upon hearing this, Hu Qingniu burst into laughter. "Good! Good! Since you are the Eagle King's grandson and the Lion King's adopted son, you are no outsider!"

"Come, come, let me see just how formidable this Xuanming Divine Palm is."

After having Zhang Wuji sit down, Hu Qingniu examined him carefully, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter.

"The cold poison has plagued your body for a long time and has already invaded your internal organs. This truly is a rare affliction, extremely difficult to treat."

Hu Qingniu pondered. "I must use golden needles to guide it through the acupoints, supplemented by powerful medicines to torment it from within and without, forcing out the cold poison. The process will be unbearably painful, and it cannot be accomplished in a single day."

"Please treat me, Mister Hu. Wuji can endure it."

Zhang Wuji's tone was resolute.

Hu Qingniu nodded and began preparing the acupuncture needles and medicine.

Seeing this, Zu Hao spoke up. "Mister Hu, I am Zu Hao. I have some interest in medicine as well. Would it be possible for me to remain in the valley for a while? On one hand, I can care for Wuji. On the other, I would like to seek your guidance on some medical principles."

Hu Qingniu glanced sideways at him. "Do as you please. There are still empty houses in the valley. Find somewhere to stay yourself."

"But you may watch me treat patients. You must not disturb me, nor may you touch my medicinal herbs or instruments without permission."

To Hu Qingniu, treating illnesses and saving lives was a pleasure. This was especially true of difficult and unusual cases; every one he overcame brought him a sense of accomplishment.

Zhang Wuji's condition was highly challenging to him.

"Of course. Thank you, Mister."

Zu Hao cupped his hands in salute.

From then on, Zu Hao and the others settled down in Butterfly Valley.

Hu Qingniu began treating Zhang Wuji and Chang Yuchun with all his strength, administering daily acupuncture, medicinal baths, and decoctions without cease.

Chang Yuchun's injuries were child's play to Hu Qingniu. Within two days, he had mostly recovered.

Zhang Wuji's cold poison was not so easily treated. Hu Qingniu could only suppress it temporarily and had yet to find a way to eradicate it completely.

Meanwhile, Zu Hao devoured the medical books in Hu Qingniu's collection.

His mental power was formidable. He had a photographic memory and exceptional comprehension, and in a short time, he had committed to memory the basic theories, medicinal herbs and their properties, meridians, acupoints, and other knowledge from Hu Qingniu's library.

He did not merely memorize them; he could draw inferences from one case to another and offer unique insights. His rapid progress gradually made Hu Qingniu, who had not thought much of him at first, view him in a new light.

From time to time, Zu Hao would raise certain modern medical concepts when the opportunity was right.

For example, when he once saw Hu Qingniu treating a blade wound on a member of the Ming Cult, Zu Hao said, "Mister Hu, this junior once heard an eccentric foreigner mention that countless tiny organisms exist in places the naked eye cannot see. They are called 'germs.' Many wounds fester and cause fever because of these germs."

"If cloth strips and blades are boiled in water, or wounds are cleaned with high-proof spirits, might that reduce the occurrence of such cases?"

Hu Qingniu initially scoffed. "Nonsense! Where would such tiny organisms come from?"

Zu Hao immediately brought out the microscope he had obtained from Resident Evil and let Hu Qingniu see for himself.

It was as though the door to a new world had been opened for Hu Qingniu.

Likewise, when they discussed blood circulation, Zu Hao introduced the concepts of blood types and transfusions, sparking Hu Qingniu's interest.

These medical insights, far beyond their era and offered only in fragments, were like scattered sparks that gradually ignited a flame within Hu Qingniu, a master of medicine.

Zu Hao even revealed a method for treating smallpox, leaving Hu Qingniu utterly astonished.

"Brother Zu, if this Cowpox Method can truly treat smallpox, you could become a saint because of it!"

In ancient times, smallpox was an incurable and contagious disease. Whenever an outbreak occurred, an entire city could suffer. Whether one survived depended entirely on luck.

If the Cowpox Method could truly treat smallpox, people would be more than willing to build ancestral halls and temples in Zu Hao's honor, easily granting him a separate page in the family genealogy.

"There is absolutely no problem with the Cowpox Method. Mister Hu may choose a day to try it."

Zu Hao did not care much for fame. He would not remain in this world for long anyway. It was enough to save more people and leave behind some trace of his presence.

In Hu Qingniu's eyes, Zu Hao was indifferent to fame and profit, and he admired him even more for it.

He became increasingly devoted to teaching him medicine.

Zhou Zhiruo remained in the valley to cook and clean. She was thoughtful and meticulous, keeping everyone's daily lives in perfect order.

From time to time, Zu Hao would also teach her to read and write, practice martial arts, and train with the sword. The young girl was naturally intelligent and improved remarkably quickly.

The valley was tranquil, and time slipped quietly away.

In the blink of an eye, ten days passed. Chang Yuchun had fully recovered, and because the Ming Cult had matters requiring his attention, he bid Hu Qingniu farewell and departed.

Under Hu Qingniu's treatment, Zhang Wuji had not fully recovered, but his cold poison had been temporarily suppressed. It no longer flared up so often, and his complexion had grown somewhat rosier.

At the same time, Zhang Wuji was also teaching himself medicine.

He was the protagonist of Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, with extraordinary comprehension, and he learned quickly.

Still, compared with Zu Hao, he fell somewhat short.

During the day, Zu Hao studied medicine, trained his psychic power, cultivated the Wudang Nine Yang Skill, and instructed Zhou Zhiruo.

At night, he organized his thoughts and planned his next move.

He knew that according to the Hong Kong television adaptation of Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Zhang Wuji would not remain in Butterfly Valley for long.

The Zhang Wuji before him was fifteen this year, three years older than when he arrived at Butterfly Valley in the original novel. If he stayed in Butterfly Valley for two years, he would have no time to cultivate the Nine Yang Divine Skill to near mastery.

"According to the timeline of the Hong Kong television adaptation, Ji Xiaofu should soon arrive at Butterfly Valley with Yang Buhui."

Zu Hao mused inwardly, Then Golden Flower Granny and Abbess Miejue will appear one after another. Can the Heavenly Sword, the Nine Yin Manual, and the Dragon-Subduing Eighteen Palms be far behind?

Life in Butterfly Valley was peaceful yet fulfilling.

When the first light of dawn appeared, the valley was filled with the bitter fragrance of medicinal herbs. Under Hu Qingniu's guidance, Zu Hao began studying medicine.

Though Hu Qingniu had an eccentric temperament, he held nothing back when teaching. Seeing Zu Hao's extraordinary aptitude, he imparted all he knew.

In little more than half a month, Zu Hao could already independently handle many difficult and complicated illnesses. His understanding of the human body's meridians and acupoints had reached a new level.

This understanding in turn aided his cultivation, making the circulation of his inner energy smoother and allowing him to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Even more gratifying was the rapid progress of his psychic power training.

He could now manipulate objects weighing fifteen tons, and his psychic power could extend as far as one hundred and fifty meters.

Zu Hao could also divide his attention, controlling four longswords to attack simultaneously.

If he added psychic interference to the mix, even Zhang Sanfeng could be killed in an instant if he let his guard down.

On ordinary days, the mountain chickens, wild rabbits, and fish in the river all became targets for Zu Hao's sword practice.

Wherever his flying swords passed, they usually killed in a single strike.

Zhou Zhiruo would clean these wild catches and either stew or roast them, their fragrance often spreading throughout the valley.

With the plentiful meat supplementing their diet, not only had Zhou Zhiruo's cheeks become much rosier, even Zhang Wuji's complexion improved day by day.

Though Hu Qingniu said nothing, he would occasionally reveal a faint, barely noticeable smile as he watched these young people.

However, this peaceful life was shattered on the seventeenth day after Zu Hao arrived in the Heavenly Sword World.

That afternoon, waves of miserable cries suddenly came from outside the valley.

Immediately afterward, a group of martial artists with bloodstained clothes and agonized expressions staggered into the valley.

Judging from their attire, they belonged to different sects, including the Mount Hua Sect, Kongtong Sect, Kunlun, and Beggars' Sect.

"Divine Physician Hu, save us!"

"Hu Qingniu, come out now!"

"Doctor, save us!"

Amid the clamor, more than a dozen people stumbled toward the medicine cottage.